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Sri Lanka's sensational finger spinner Ajantha Mendis was named man of the series in the recent Asia Cup after a series of fine performances.
The 23-year-old 'Carrom bowler' took a career-best six wickets for just 13 runs in the final against India as the Sri Lankans won by 100 runs to retain the trophy.
A former gunner in the Sri Lankan artillery, the performance earned him the man of the match award, with many commentators hailing him as the long-term replacement in the Sri Lankan national team of spin legend Murali Muralitharan.
Gulf News: Did you ever imagine you would be named man of the series in the Asia cup?
Ajantha Mendis: No, but I got more pleasure from being man of the match in the final. It's a dream situation for me.
There were some heavyweights in the Indian batting line-up. Did that create pressure for you?
No, because I did not think who I was bowling against. Please don't forget I am absolutely new to the international arena, so there was no pressure. My captain Mahela (Jayawardene) said only one thing - go and enjoy your bowling. I just did that.
Did you know that you were the first to capture six wickets in a Asia Cup final?
No, I did not know this. I heard this when I came back to the dressing room after the match.
Muralitharan has praised your bowling. How do you feel about that?
I am really fortunate that I am not only getting guidance from him but plying in the same team. It's a great experience when he is bowling from the other end. I am still learning from him.
Pundits are saying that you will replace him. What are your thoughts on that?
He will play a few more years now. I am just a newcomer. I'll try to learn some more tricks of spin bowling from him. I want his presence to continue in the team.
Have you picked up any tricks from him?
I think the lack of expert advice did it for me. It comes naturally to me. Nobody pointed it out to me until I came close to being selected for the national team.
What exactly is a carrom ball?
The ball is held between the thumb, forefinger and the middle finger, and instead of a regular release, the ball has to be squeezed out of the fingers.
It has been said you tell your captain what you are going to bowl, so he sets his field. Is that true?
As Mahela said, for other players in international arena, it is difficult to understand our language, so, we speak freely about it in the field and the captain sets the field accordingly.
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